Line indicator for a typewriter or the like



p 27, 1955 J. R. LEPKOWSKI 2,713,956

LINE INDICATOR FOR A TYPEWRITER OR THE LIKE Filed Oct. 8, 1954 2 INVENTOR /6' J2 JOJ'EPH IP/C'HAIPD ZfP/(OWJK/ BYE ATTORNEY! 2,718,955 Patented Sept. 27, 1955 United States Patent Ofiice LINE INDICATOR FOR A ER OR LIKE My invention relates to indicating means, including a dial, to be carried with ;a platen for a typewriter or the like, in order to indicate the number of lines typed or to be typed on a given page.

It is an object of the invention to providean improved mechanism of the character indicated.

It is another object to provide an improved indicatingdial assembly readily adaptable .to existing typewriter or like platens.

It is a general object to meet the above objects with mechanism of utmost simplicity, yet foolproof in operation and rugged for long service.

Other objects and various further features of novelty and invention will be pointed out or will occur to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following specification, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In said drawings, which show, for illustrative purposes only, preferred forms of the invention: r

Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective View of a platen and knob incorporating .a dial of my invention, as .employed in adaptation to a typewriter;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the parts of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view in the plane 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a modification and with parts broken away and in section; and

- Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 to illustrate a further modification.

Briefly stated, my invention contemplates incorporation of an adjustable dial between a platen and its actuator knob, in order at all times to display the current position of a line being typed with respect to one or more limits of a particular page or sheet which is being typed. The dial may be a cylinder with suitable inscriptions about the periphery. Rotation-resisting means between the knob and dial assure that the dial will be carried with rotation of the platen and knob; the same rotation-resisting means permits the dial to be manually set by simple manipulation, as when a new sheet is inserted into the machine. Indicator means may be based on the frame or carriage for register with a part of the periphery of the dial, and even though the dial may require a plurality of scales (01' turns of the same scale) in order to accommodate a full page length, there need never be ambiguity as to the location of the currently typed material with respect to position on the page.

If desired, a further dial may be added in rotationresisting relation with the first dial. One dial may be inscribed to indicate lines consumed, while the other indicates lines to be consumed on the same page. By having both dials adjustable with respect to each other, the indicating mechanism lends itself to pages of various lengths.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings, my invention is shown in application to an assembly including a platen and knob 11 in actuating relation with and therefore angularly fixed with respect to the platen. In the form shown, the knob 11 is held permanently to the platen 10 by means of a set screw 12 carried in the mounting boss 13 for the platen and driven against a flat .on the knob shaft or shank 14. The shank 14 may be secured directly in the knob 11 or, as in the form shown, the knob 11 may be cast with a hub 15 in which the shank 14 is secured. The knob and platen may be revolubly supported in frame means, such as an end pedestal 16 ona typewriter carriage 17. The pedestal 16 may be .of formed sheet metal, and may have suitable bearing means 18 to accommodate the knob shank 14. The platen-support mechanism will be understood to be otherwise conventional and as including the usual detent-escapement and platen-advance mechanism, as at the other end of the carriage 17, for line-'by-line or multiple-line advance and holding of platen position.

In accordance with the invention, I provide between the frame 16 and the knob 11, simple dial means 20 suitably inscribed so ,as always to indicate, against means carried by the frame 16, the instantaneous position of the line being typed, with respect to a limit of the sheet or page held by the platen. In the form shown, the indicating means is merely an arrow 21 applied to or formed in the frame means 16 and in register with a part of the periphery of the dial 263. The dial 20 may be a cylindrical block, as of wood or plastic, bored for rotary sup port and adjustment upon the shank 14 and counterbored to receive projecting parts of the knob 11. The other end of the dial 20 may also be counterbored at 22 to receive spring means 23 compressed between the frame 16 and the dial 20; a thin metallic washer 24 receives spring thrust on the dial end, and at the frame end the spring 23 rides the boss or bearing 18. To avoid inadvertent slip between the dial 20 and the knob 11, I provide rotation-resisting means between these parts and, in the form shown, a washer 2,5 of leather or other suitable friction material is located axially (and compressed by action of spring 23) between the dial 20 and knob 11.

The periphery of the dial may .be inscribed in increments reflecting single-line or multiple-line advances of the platen 1.0. Because more than one platen revolution is necessary to accommodate most typewritten pages, I prefer to inscribe multiple turns on the dial 20, appropriate to the numbered lines for a full page, whatever the page size to be accommodated. As best shown in Fig. 2, my inscribed dial is helically developed with a sufiicient number of turns to accommodate at least 70 lines, sufficient for ordinary requirements.

To install my dial, it is merely necessary to release the knob 11 from its shaft or, as shown, to release the knob shank 14 from the platen 10. The actual counterboring of the dial 20 will depend upon the type of machine to which it is to be applied, and the inscription on the scale will depend upon the size of the platen to which it is adapted; but, in any case, only four parts need be inserted between the knob 11 and the frame 16. These parts are the spring 23 and washer 24, the dial 20, and the friction means 25. The indicator arrow 21 may be applied as a decalcomania sticker or may be formed from adhesive tape.

In use, the dial 20 should be set at zero when a page is first inserted in the platen 10 and when the top edge thereof has just cleared the typing space; alternatively, dial 20 may be set at zero after allowance for a known top margin. Conventional operation of the typewriter will then result in indexing the knob (and with it the dial) every time a line is advanced and, knowing the number of lines that can be accommodated on the page, one can always know how far down the typed message has been carried.

In Fig. 4, I show a modification in which two dials 26-27 are employed in axial adjacency and adjustably rotatable relatively to each other. Friction means, such as leather washers 2829 may be carried axially between the dials 2627, and axially between the knob 11 and its adjacent dial 27.. The spring mechanism will be under.- stood to resemble that described in connection with Fig. 3; the spring may therefore urge dial 26, as well as dial 27, towards knob 11. The scales inscribed on the respective dials 26-27 may be the inverse of each other. Thus, in use, the dial 26, which may be called the lines-consumed dial, may be set at zero for the starting of a page; and the dial 27, which may be called the lines-to-go dial, may be set at whatever figure represents the consumable lines per page. index with the knob 11 and platen 10, as dictated by rotation-resisting means between the relatively rotatable ordinary typewriter operation.

I In Fig. 5, I show a further modification in which the parts is perhaps more positive than achievable with the friction means already described. In Fig. 5, the dials 26-27' are formed with interfitting detent means, such as serrations 30 along their adjacent peripheral edges; in like manner, the adjacent edges of the dial 27 and knob 11' are formed at 31 with further interfitting serrations. There is preferably sufiicient axial clearance 32 between the left dial 26 and the frame means 16 to permit escapement of the detent means 30-31, as necessitated by ad justment. Also, the pitch of the serrations at 3031 is preferably such that one detent advance equals the minimum platen advance accommodated by the line-advancing and holding mechanism of the typewriter. For most cases, this will be a single-line advance and, in any event, I prefer that the pitch of the serrations shall be such that a one-line advance of the platen It represents an integer multiple of the pitch of the serrations.

It will be seen that I have described a simple mechanism adaptable to conventional typewriters or the like for indicating at all times the instantaneous writing position of the machine, with respect to one or both limits of the page being typed. The mechanism is easily set when a new page is inserted and, if desired, provision can be made for indicating not only the lines consumed, but also the lines to be consumed for any size page.

While the invention has been described in detail for the preferred forms shown, it will be understood that modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. In combination, a platen for a typewriter or the like, an actuator knob angularly fixed with respect to said Once set, both dials 2627 will platen and carried at one end thereof, a platen-support frame including bearing means revolubly supporting one end of said platen and located between said platen and said knob, a cylindrical dial between said knob and said frame and revoluble relatively to said knob, rotation-resisting means axially between said knob and dial, spring means between said frame and dial, and fixed indicator means carried by said frame for register with part of the periphery of said dial.

2. The combination of claim 1, in which said rotationresisting means is a washer of friction material.

3. The combination of claim 1, in which said rotationresisting means includes a detent mechanism.

4. The combination of claim 1, in which said rotationresisting means includes a detent mechanism with an escapement pitch equal to a one-line-advance increment for said platen.

5. The combination of claim 1, in which said rotationresisting means includes interfitting serrations on said knob and dial, said serrations being of such pitch that a one-line advance for said platen is an .integer multiple of said pitch.

6. In combination, a platen for a typewriter or the like, a knob carried at one end of said platen for rotatably actuating said platen, a frame revolubly supporting said platen, two dials axially adjacent one another and supported for rotation with respect to said knob between said platen and said knob, rotation-resisting means between said knob and the adjacent dial, rotation-resisting means between both dials, spring means urging both said dials and said knob in axial compression, and a frame-supported indicator in register with a part of the periphery of one of said dials.

7. The combination according to claim 6, in which said rotation-resisting means includes a friction material.

8. The combination of claim 6, in which said rotationresisting means includes interfitting serrations between said dials and between said knob and the adjacent dial.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,069,167 Orbell Aug. 5, 1913 1,171,326 Dennis Feb. 8, 1916 1,326,346 Haieh et al Dec. 30, 1919 FOREIGN PATENTS 564,060 Germany Nov. 17, 1932 

